Bajan Sun Magazine - Caribbean Entrepreneurs Vol1 Issue 6 | Page 40

BAJAN SUN Bajan Sun Magazine AUG 2014 FEATURED BARTENDER Debra Sharon Stoute nee Bannister was born and bred in Goodland, St. Michael. She was exposed to hard work from an early age through her maternal grandparents and more specifically her paternal grandfather. Both maternal grandparents were actively involved in agriculture and paternal grandfather being a pastry chef, which as she states exposed her to sectors of the Hospitality Industry. Her grandfather was a jack of all trades and a master of none. But, more interestingly he was a drinker. As she exclaims, after a hard day's work he would take a break with some of his colleagues (who were also involved in agriculture) to 'fire a rum' and slam a domino. Exposed to a bit of the rum shop culture from at home, she had no idea that being privy to this daily ritual would have been the first spark to her later interest in the idea of mixing drinks. You see, she was never interested in becoming a bartender. Her interest was to become a pastry chef like her father and grandfather. Her exposure to bartending was just by chance. It was sometime back in 1991/92 when a childhood friend of hers was visiting from the States and invited her out to the After Dark bar, that the interest in bartending was sparked. From assisting in gathering bottles that night to landing a job at the same bar, Debra’s introduction